1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a smoothing iron comprising a cartridge which contains a product for demineralizing the water intended to be introduced into the vaporization chamber of the iron.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that the water introduced into the water storage container of a smoothing iron must be demineralized to avoid the deposition of inorganic matter, especially of limestone in the vaporization chamber of the iron, which can lead to the obstruction of the steam outlet openings made in the soleplate of the iron.
To prevent this deposition, the users employ either demineralized water sold commercially at a relatively high price, or a cartridge containing a demineralizing substance consisting of particles of ion exchange resin through which the users pass the tap water before introducing it into the water storage container.
At one of their ends, these cartridges comprise a terminal fitting which the user introduces into the water inlet opening of the iron's storage container.
The ion exchange resin contained in these cartridges changes color when it is no longer capable of retaining the limestone in the water, and this shows the user that it should be thrown away.
These cartridges are tedious to use. In fact, filling the water storage container by means of these cartridges is long because they allow only a low flow rate of water, and this is, furthermore, indispensable for demineralizing water efficiently.
EP-A-0,306,623 discloses a steam smoothing iron comprising a demineralizing cartridge at the outlet of its water storage container.
This cartridge is inserted between the water storage container and the heated soleplate of the iron. This arrangement has the disadvantage of increasing the overall height of the iron and above all of raising the ion exchange resin present in the cartridge to an excessive temperature, with the result that the embodiment described in the above document is not, in fact, operational.
The purpose of the present invention is to overcome this major disadvantage.